Most of us don’t get to look back with satisfaction on our year’s labors, but Andy Brown, head brewer at Wynkoop Brewing Co. in LoDo, made sure to save all his work.

He’ll bring it out for the public on Saturday with Wynkoop’s first Beers of the Year mini-festival, featuring every ale and lager that Brown brewed since the Democratic National Convention in August 2008 and samples of his cider, barley wine and mead, some more than a year old.

“I just held back a keg from every batch I made,” said the soft-spoken Brown, who took over as Wynkoop’s head brewer in June 2008. “Some (were) aged in oak barrels, but most of the beer we stored in kegs. About 25 beers total.”

Brown’s brewing career at Wynkoop started with a bang when he won two gold medals at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival, a feat few have accomplished. The winners were B3K Schwarz Bier and Wixa-Weiss, two very different styles. Ever modest, Brown said, “They were already existing beers that I just kind of tweaked a little bit. It’s not just the recipe. It’s everything else you do down the line. It’s the whole attention to detail. Brewing takes eight hours and then there’s 14 more days of things you do to it to make it taste good.

“Winning medals is great (but) I didn’t win any this year. It’s luck sometimes.”

Brown’s just as excited by the Wynkoop’s recent decision to can its most popular beer, Rail Yard Ale. “When we looked at what we could do that had the most potential for growth for us this year, it was investing in canning. We’re going to add some more staff to help us sell it.” They also hired Brown’s friend and local beer guru Marty Jones to help market it. The brewery’s basement can line is pretty primitive. The cans are filled two at a time, then sealed one at a time on a separate machine. It can package a mere 12 cases an hour.

Like many of his professional brewing brethren, Brown, 34, started as a homebrewer, but at an earlier age. He did his first batch at 19, with his parents’ approval. From there it was off to brewing school and stops at Elysian Brewing in Seattle and at Left Hand Brewing and Oskar Blues in Longmont.

Saturday’s festival at the Wynkoop runs from 1 to 5 p.m. with six 4-ounce samples for $5 or unlimited samples for $25. Any beers remaining will be sold in growlers to go. Brown promised he’ll be there to answer drinkers’ questions.

Beer Notes

There’s a glut of hops, a key ingredient in beer, according to the Portland Oregonian. Prices have fallen so low that some Oregon and Washington growers aren’t bothering to harvest. “Don’t expect craft beer prices to follow,” said the paper, in a down note. … Getting around: Thirty of the state’s breweries pour more than 70 beers at the third annual All Colorado Beer Festival Saturday at Mr. Biggs Event Center in Colorado Springs. Sessions are from noon to 4:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets ($30) at the door. Proceeds go to THEATREWORKS, the Colorado Springs Give! Initiative and Homes for Our Troops. … Nineteen breweries release special beers at the 10th anniversary of the Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival, taking place Jan. 7-9 at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. The festival includes brewmasters’ dinners, educational seminars and homebrew judging. Info at bigbeersfestival.com. … Boulder Beer and the Melting Pot in Louisville combine to pair fondue and beer as part of a three-course dinner at the restaurant on Friday. Brewmaster David Zuckerman hosts. It’s $48 a person at 303-666-7777. … Always looking to tap the microbeer market, Michelob out with a fall/winter sampler pack that includes Michelob Rye P.A., Bavarian Style Wheat, Pale Ale and Porter. It’s sold only in 12- and 24-packs. Quotable:“Give an Irishman lager for a month and he’s a dead man. An Irishman’s stomach is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him.”— Mark Twain

Dick Kreck joined The Post in 1968 and held various editing jobs, including a turn as editor of Roundup magazine. He wrote a city column for 18 years and covered local TV and radio before retiring in June 2007. He was inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame in 2010.